A logic-based framework for qualitative spatial reasoning in mobile GIS environment

Abstract

The mobile computing technology has been increasingly grown in the past decade; however there still exist some important constraints that complicate work with a mobile information system. The limited resources on the mobile computing would restrict some features that are available on the traditional computing technology. In this article we suggest an idea based on space and time partitioning in order to provide a paradigm that treats moving objects in mobile GIS environment. A logic-based framework for representing and reasoning about qualitative spatial relations over moving agents in space and time is proposed. We motivate the use of influenceability relation as primary relation and show how a logical calculus can be built up from this basic concept. We derive the connection relation as a basis of topological relation and a kind of time order as a basis of time from our suggested primary influenceability relation. This framework finds applications in intelligent transportation system (ITS), and any mobile autonomous navigation systems.